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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 13, 1993                   TAG: 9304130361
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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WHAT'S IN A (HYPHENATED) NAME?

I ENJOYED Anita Lynne Bevins-Kernan's March 16 commentary ("The name game") on the hassles of using a hyphenated last name. I, too, chose to link my last name with my husband's when I married. I wanted to keep my self-identity and not be considered a mere extension of him. Marriage is, after all, the joining of two people, not the omission of one.

Society, though, is not yet ready for hyphenated last names. Despite repeated reminders, the hyphen in my name is usually ignored. My first name is linked with my husband's last name, and my last name is metamorphosed into a middle initial. The result is an unfamiliar name that rings no Pavlov's bell for me.

Most people like to have their names spelled correctly and like to be called by the name they use when they introduce themselves. I do, yet few oblige me. Someday I will probably tire of the hassle, remove the hyphen, and, with his blessing, drop my husband's last name. I've always liked my family name and have missed it since my marriage. ELIZABETH R. LINDSEY-LOCKE RADFORD

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